


You Turn Me Into Somebody Loved

by savvyliterate



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-09
Updated: 2013-07-09
Packaged: 2017-12-18 04:33:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/875676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/savvyliterate/pseuds/savvyliterate
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There was the Doctor, and he <i>did</i> things to her. He had left her that first time all blushing and not quite meeting her eyes before he kissed her cheek and sent her on her way. Not even a night out with her friend banished those thoughts. River  stared at the ceiling, thought about the Doctor’s innocent kiss and wondered why that had made her toes curl more than a night of good sex did.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You Turn Me Into Somebody Loved

**Author's Note:**

  * For [leiascully](https://archiveofourown.org/users/leiascully/gifts).



> I wrote this for the rdficathon back in May but never got around to posting it here until now. The prompt was 'any lyric from The Weepies’ 'Somebody Loved'" and is inspired by tags I spotted for [a Tangled gifset I saw on Tumblr that described the Doctor and younger River](http://queenkingstons.tumblr.com/post/46821063011). This is set between “The God Complex” and “Closing Time” for the Doctor and post-“Let’s Kill Hitler” for River.

When River Song was Mels Zucker, Amy confessed that while she used the phrase “dropped out of the sky” in reference to Rory – their first meeting as kids involved Rory falling out of a tree at Amy’s feet – she admitted that it referred to the Doctor as well.

“He’s just all over the place,” she said, “and you never know when he’s just going to drop by.”

As River scribbled notes in her ancient Egyptian studies class, taught by a converted Spoonhead that retained a fascination for it after a stint in the 21st century, she realized just how true Amy’s observations were.

The TARDIS faded into view just behind the lectern, and the professor didn’t pay it any attention. The students did, whispering and pointing as the door popped open and the Doctor stuck his head out. He did a quick scan of the room before finding River in the third row, fifth seat from the left. With a satisfied grin, he tweaked his bow tie and strutted out of the TARDIS with all the proud haughtiness of a peacock. Or a very awkward giraffe, as he neatly stumbled into the lectern.

River wasn’t sure whether to be annoyed, amused, or to try and kill him.

The Doctor startled, pulled his sonic out of his jacket and ran it over the Spoonhead. He raised an eyebrow, pointed to River, then pointed to the professor, then jerked his head at the TARDIS.  _Come with me_ , his expression seemed to say.

River shook her head and held up her notebook.  _I’m in the middle of class, sweetie._

The Doctor frowned. “Completely rubbish,” he mouthed, with appropriate gestures. “He’s got about half his facts wrong, and really, you shouldn’t be sourcing Wikipedia for anything.”

“Still in class,” River mouthed back. She had to agree with him on the facts being rubbish. But, a course credit was a course credit, and she really needed to pass this class.

“Do you know him?” the man sitting next to her whispered.

River breathed a sigh that was a cross between annoyance and growing affection. “Oh, just an acquaintance.”

He leered at the Doctor. “Really? Can you introduce us? He’s awkwardly hot.”

“He is,” River admitted as the Doctor scanned the room, and then pointed the sonic at the fire alarm. The switch flipped positions, and the hideously loud shriek (perfectly pitched to be gratingly annoying to every species that attended Luna University) filled the room.

The students didn’t think twice. They leaped from their seats to take advantage of the unexpected freedom. The professor switched to its emergency programming, reciting in a robotic voice the standard evacuation procedures. River calmly stacked her things together and took her time walking toward the TARDIS, despite her ringing ears. She tut-tutted a bit at the clueless professor and swept in the door ahead of the Doctor, halfway tempted to slam it shut on him. Make him suffer a bit for his little prank. But, sadly, he had his sonic and could easily shut the alarm off for his own comfort.

The TARDIS was blessedly quiet, and River closed her eyes and breathed her in. It was hard to describe the feeling of being in the TARDIS. There was a peace that had soothed and spooked Mels to the point that she tried to shoot the rotor in pure reflex. It was like being wrapped in a warm, comfortable blanket with a steaming mug of hot chocolate in her hands and a book on the table beside her. It was every cozy winter day and blissful spring morning wrapped together. It was love and protection and home and safety all in one package, and River wanted to be cocooned in it forever.

“Right!” The Doctor closed the door behind him and rubbed his hands together. He leaped to the console, grinning at her as he did his very best to show off. “So, I have a special treat for you today, dear. One moment.” He pulled a small notebook out of his jacket pocket. “OK … second year of university?”

“Yes.”

“You have your diary, right?”

She did. She always carried the book with her, even though she still wasn’t quite sure what to do with it. He wouldn’t tell her, so she threatened to fill it with extremely explicit sexual details. He had blushed at that before whispering, “Really?” It made her decide to do it one day. If they, well… ever went  _there._

“I do believe I’m up to transcribing the second scroll of the Kama Sutra,” River replied, pleased when his cheeks went pink. She held the book to her chest. “Complete with drawings. Care for a demonstration, sweetie?”

The Doctor merely shook his head and went about putting in the coordinates. He pulled a lever, and River winced as she could feel the mental shriek of the TARDIS resisting what he was doing. She perched in one of the seats, literally sitting on her hands and wondering what she should do. This was the second time he had done this since Berlin, whisked her away on a trip designed to impress her. OK, he had impressed her. He’d taken her to the Crystal Palace during its heyday and escorted her around the exquisite gardens. It was quiet and peaceful, like he’d looked into her mind and extracted the need for the serenity of the gardens.

Life in the 51st century was good. Truly on her own for the first time, River enjoyed real freedom. She had a small studio flat, cooked her own meals, went out with friends. She was even seeing a lovely young woman from R’fral regularly, and the sex was pretty damn good.

But, then there was the Doctor, and he  _did_  things to her. He had left her that first time all blushing and not quite meeting her eyes before he kissed her cheek and sent her on her way. “I’ll see you again,” he promised and left her reliving that bloody cheek kiss over and over. Not even a night out with her friend banished those thoughts. As Luxia slept, River had stared at the ceiling and thought about the Doctor’s innocent kiss and wondered why that had made her toes curl more than a night of good sex.

She was afraid of the answer.

Now here he was again, being all sorts of clever and purposefully showing off. Yet, she caught the suddenly shy glimpses out of the corner of her eye, how his gaze lingered just a tad too long on her breasts before he accidentally twisted the knob wrong. It was like nails racking down a chalkboard to the TARDIS, and River winced in sympathy before finally just having enough.

“Honestly, sweetie, she hates it when you do that.” River leaped off the chair and brushed the Doctor’s hands away from the console. She corrected the knob, typed a couple words in the typewriter, and rang the gong. The ride smoothed out, and River patted the console. “See? She likes that much better.”

Pleased, he bopped her nose, spun in place, and went to go mess up another part of their flight. OK, hewas doing it on purpose. She rolled her eyes at the endearing obvious of it all and corrected his mistakes as her intuition, along with subtle cues from the TARDIS, guided her to do so.

When the TARDIS settled, he bounded to the door and pulled it open. He stuck his head out for a moment, and then beckoned to her. “Well, it looks like we’re in the right place.”

“Because I drove?”

He harrumphed a bit and waited for her to walk out ahead of him.

They were in a narrow alley, but a few steps away was a busy street festival. Colorful banners looped from building to building in an elaborate tapestry and food stalls with mouthwatering scents lined the streets. It was like everything River had ever seen in a Disney movie condensed into one spot, but it wasn’t anywhere near as cloying as she imagined it would be. Instead, her stomach rumbled, and she found herself breaking into a grin as two little girls ran by with colorful streamers.

“Did you take us to Disneyland, sweetie?”

“Not Disneyland, but Disneyana,” the Doctor proclaimed. “Distant ancestors of Walt and Roy Disney colonized the planet. The perfect utopia, except for those nasty promotional wars with Disneyland Clom. Dear, remind me never to involve myself in battles involving felt and plastic mouse ears again.” He preened a bit, and then blushed when she arched her eyebrow at the endearment. There it was again, that odd tripping in her hearts that she suspected had everything do with emotions and nothing to do with heart defects.

“Come on!” He grabbed her hand and tugged her into the middle of the celebrating crowd and into an impromptu dance. He twirled her around, surprisingly nimble on those long, gangly legs of his, and she laughed. A quick study of the people around her, and she found herself easily falling into the dance steps everyone else was using. Lots of twirling and flying of skirts and hair. Her curls bounced every whichway as she spun faster and faster, moved closer to the Doctor and away again. There it was, a brushing of hands as they moved past each other, a twinkle in his eye, and she was laughing so hard that it felt like for one moment in time, there was nothing but joy and him.

The dance came to an end as she twirled about one last time, and he moved forward and clasped her in his arms before tugging her into a nearby alley. He leaned in instinctively, cupping her face and running his thumbs over her cheeks. “Well, the dancing was supposed to come later,” he admitted softly.

“I’d say you’re addicted to dancing,” she gently teased, and he blushed. He bopped her nose and pulled her into a nearby building.

It was an ancient tree lovingly carved into a library. Wood was fashioned into shelves that groaned under the weight of the books it held. Artisanal maps hung in gilt frames on the walls. Instead of comfortable groups of sofas and squashy chairs, there were large tables with delicate mosaics sealed beneath heavy glass, representing scenes from classic fairy tales around Earth.

“This library has the largest collection of maps in the universe,” the Doctor proclaimed and selected a book from a shelf. He opened it to an elaborate map and waved his hand over it. It leaped off the page, expanding into a 3-D shape that lazily turned above the page it was anchored to. The Doctor brushed a fingertip over locations, and little videos popped up showing cultural information.

“It’s amazing!” River breathed and did the same thing to the map on the opposite page, which showed Egypt.

“Watch this.” The Doctor tapped two fingers to River’s map, which caused a timeline to pop up. Then he used a finger to scroll back in time and tapped on Alexandria. The historic library popped into view, and River’s jaw fell. Pleased at her delight, he showed off several other little tricks the map could do.

After poring over several more maps, they ventured back into the dancing. This time, the children had taken center stage, and they all found River’s hair fascinating. They tugged her into the middle of their circle as they did a traditional circle dance, and one toddler merely stood at her feet and gave her a wide-eyed stare.

“Hello.” River smiled down at the child, and the little girl stuck a finger in her mouth. With the other, she beckoned River to crouch down. “What’s the matter, darling?”

The toddler sucked on her finger for a moment, then with a pop, pulled it out of her mouth and used that hand to pat River’s hair. She squealed and grabbed a handful of curls, tugging them. River winced slightly as her hair was pulled.

“Boingy!” the child cried.

“Yes, well, I suppose they’re rather boingy.”

“Boingy! Boingy!” The little girl ran back off into the dancers.

The Doctor leaned over and tugged one of River’s curls. “Stop that,” she laughed, batting his hand away.

“Just testing their boinginess,” the Doctor said, his expression as serious as the little girl’s. River rolled her eyes and got to her feet, and he presented her with a cupcake. With a low hum of pleasure, she peeled back the paper a bit and sampled the frosting.

The Doctor tossed aside the paper on his and devoured it in three messy gulps while River licked the frosting off hers before starting on the cake bit. He felt it was only fair that he was distracted while her tongue swept across the surface of that cake, lapping away the cream with elegant swirls of her tongue that did  _things_  to him. He swallowed hard and pulled her along to go look at paintings.

It was well past sunset when they meandered back to the TARDIS arm-in-arm, relaxed and tired from their busy day. River’s studies had just begun to encroach on her thoughts when the Doctor suddenly pinned her between him and the TARDIS doors.

“Well, future Dr. Song,” he purred, and all thoughts of exams were replaced by deliciously carnal ones. “There’s only one thing we need to do.”

“And, what’s that, sweetie?” she replied, her voice husky as she smoothed her hands down his jacket lapels.

He leaned in close, his breath stirring the curls that hid her ears. “We need to return the book you stole.”

River gasped. “I don’t even know what you’re talking about.”

He merely breathed in her ear as he picked her back pocket and withdrew a tiny book bound in burnt-orange leather. He waved it in front of her with his patented “you should know better” look.

“Oh, they’ll never miss it,” River pouted.

“It’s stealing.”

“I’m just borrowing it. I’ll return it when I’m finished.”

“Which is when?”

“When I feel like it.” River reached for the book, and the Doctor held it out of reach. She huffed and placed her hands on her hips. “Really, they’re never going to miss it.”

“The cultural literacy of generations of children is endangered because you swiped that book, River Song.” The Doctor turned the book over in his hands. “Why this one?”

“Open it,” River murmured.

He did and waved his hand over the page. A map of Gallifrey sprang into view and lazily turned between them. He swallowed, eyes shining suspiciously as he took in the map. Then he closed the book and handed it back to River. “I suppose this one time wouldn’t hurt.” He cleared his throat. “Don’t make it a habit.”

“But, that would make life ever so dull.”

“I know of a few ways to keep you entertained.”

“Oh, I bet you do.” She leaned in, but he kissed her first. If space had a taste, an intoxicating scent, then it belonged to the Doctor. It was like kissing a star, all hot and explosive and wonderful and warm and tender. With her free hand, she ran a hand through his hair as he pressed her back into the solid wood of the TARDIS.

She wasn’t sure how long they stood there, exploring each other as chastely as possible. Her stolen book disappeared into his jacket pocket, and said jacket was now at their feet. Her hands ran up and down his arms as his fingers skimmed over the curve of her arse, tracing symbols in the dip of her spine.

This was the point in most dates that she would invite the person in, to finish off the evening in bed. But this was different. Instead of a nagging itch, an ache centered deep within her loins. Her hips rose and fell against his as he pressed his still-clothed erection to the warmth between her legs, desperate for any sort of friction to ease the crazy desire. She had never wanted anyone as much as she wanted him, and it terrified her to the point that she broke away and fled into the TARDIS.

She gripped the railing, taking deep breaths until she was fairly sure she could walk without tripping. She gave him a flirty smile and hoped he didn’t see how badly that kiss – OK, fine, more like that make-out session – had affected her. “Thank you for today,” she said sincerely. “I’ve never had fun like that before.”

The Doctor, who was also doing his best to hide his physical response to her, did trip over his own feet. “Really?”

“Well, it’s not like I had Amy’s fairy tale childhood now, did I?”

He didn’t say anything, pulling her into his arms once more. “I’m sorry,” he murmured.

She didn’t say anything, and he pressed his lips to the top of her head before pillowing his cheek on her curls. “How about I take you for ice cream?”

“In addition to all the other sweets we’ve had?”

“Ice cream is its own food group. And planet.”

River giggled against his chest. “Oh, I wonder what I can steal from there?”

“Don’t even think about it,” he scolded her.

“Too late.” She lightly pressed her lips to his and spun away to put in the coordinates for herself.

They were arrested for committing high treason: mixing chocolate sauce with caramel. River insisted that what they did as they committed the crime was worth every second they spent in a toffee crunch prison.


End file.
